Rail-handling apparatus



Aug. 12, 1930. 14.. CLARK RAIL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed May 5, 1928 awumatoz Patented Aug. 12, 1930 PATENT OFFICE ERNEST L. CLARK, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT RAIL-HANDLING APPARATUS Applicationfiled'may 5, 1928. Serial No. 275,281.

This invention relates to rail handling apparatus, and, more particularly to apparatus for use in laying, replacing and relaying rails for railroad tracks.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which is simple in structure, inexpensive to'build and eficient and economical in use, for laying, replacing or relaying track rails.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of the nature referred to which permits the utilization of ordinary equipment of railroad companies, requires only small gangs of operators to elfect rapidly and safely the work of laying, replacing or relaying track rails and wherein the rail lifting devices are applied to-the rail adjacenteach end thereof, thereby avoiding undue balancing or tilting of the rail while being raised or laid in position.

A further object is to provide an apparatus oft-he nature referred to wherein the new rail section to be laid is brought quickly and accurately into exact position to be deposited and set in place with a minimum of manual labor or guidance.

Gther objects will appear more fully hereinafter.

The inventionconsists substantially in the construction, combination, location, and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fullyhereinafter set forth, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of a rail handling apparatus embodying the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

' Fig. 3 is a broken View in side elevation of a portion of the rail hoisting and laying apparatus;

F 4: is a broken detail view, parts in section, on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

, Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 on the line 5'5 of Fig. 1.

The same part is designated by the same reference numeral wherever it occurs throughout the several views.

'Inthe' operation of laying and replacing railway track rails it has heretofore been the common practice to employ a heavy truck or car structure adapted to operate along the track andmounting thereon a heavy braced crane arm adapted toover reach and extend far beyond the end of the truck or car so as to be rocked vertically upon a horizontal axis and, ordinarily, also to be swung or rotated about a vertical axis, an engine or power unit mounted upon the truck or car serving to effect the required operations of the crane arm or boom referred to. A hoisting cable operated from the motor or power unit is reeved through sheaves and over guides carried by the crane arm or boom and depends from the free end of said boom or arm and is usually equipped with agrapple device designed to engagea track rail at approximately the mid length thereof, which for laying or replacing purposes has been previously deposited at the side of the road-bed, and by the operation of the motor or power unit the rail is hoisted by the crane and the crane structure manipu lated so as to enable the rail to be lowered and deposited in position upon the road-bed ties, in line with the previously laid rails or in replacement of a worn rail of the track.

Many practical and series difliculties are encountered in the use of apparatus of this nature. The crane structure required is very heavy and costly. Again, where the rail is hoisted from a point proximating its midlength great care must be taken to accurately locate the point of engagement of the hoisting grapple with the rail to prevent the latter from tilting; In addition, the care and attention of workmen are required at each end of the rail while being hoisted so as to maintain it in horizontal position and to guide it into correct relation with the already laid rails of the track while it is being laid in place.

Danger of personalinjury is incurred in thus handling heavy track rails in laying or replacing the same and, moreover, a comparatively large gang of workmen is required to carry out the operations, thereby making the work of laying or replacing track rails not only expensive on account of the amount of labor required but also with respect to to be handled by the apparatus.

ployers liability for accidents and large costs for the apparatus employed and also due to the fact that the work is necessarily slow and consumes time.

It is among the principal purposes of my present invention to avoid these and other objections and to provide a rail handling apparatus which is exceedingly simple in structure, economical to manufacture, easy to handle and operate, and wherein the railroad company may utilize for track laying, relaying or replacing purposes equipment which it is now prevalently customary for railroad companies to employ; wherein the number of workmen necessary for the work is greatly reduced; wherein the rail to be laid iselevated by hoisting devices engaging it adjacent each end thereof, thereby avoiding any vertical tilting of the same during the operation; and wherein the act of hoisting the rail positions it accurately without the intervention of manual labor or care, to be received or laid in its proper relation to the previously laid track rails.

In carrying out my invention I propose to utilize for track laying purposes the usual light motor trucks and light trailers therefor with which railway companies are at present ordinarily equipped for the use of conveying trackmen or supplies. Ordinarily the truck referred to comprises a simple platform carried by wheels and axles, the platform supporting a comparatively light motor for propelling the truck along the track rails, in replacement of the old style hand operated trucks. The trailers employed in connection with such motor trucks usually comprise merely a light platform having truck wheels and adapted to be suitably and detachably connected to the end of the motor truck. Both the motor truck and the trailer plat form truck are usually light and capable of being bodily lifted from the track by the crew ordinarily using the same when occa sion arises therefor.

In carrying out my invention I propose to connect up a motor truck and a platform truck of the general nature and type referred to by means of spacer connections between their adjacent or proximate ends, which spacer connections are adjustable so as to accurately gauge and adjust a spacing relation of the motor and platform trucks to correspond approximately to the length of the rail I also propose to mount upon the proximate or adj acent end of the motor truck and its cooperating plat-form truck alight simple structure of hoisting apparatus, preferably at the proximate opposed and corres onding corners of the motor truck and platform truck, respectively. Each of these hoisting devices includes a light vertical mast suitably stepped and secured to the truck and to the base of which is pivotally connected a vertically swinging arm carrying a sheave at its outer end over which, and over a sheave in the upper end of the vertical mast operates a hoisting cable. These hoisting cables are led to and around a hoisting drum actuated from the motor of the motor truck. Each hoisting cable is equipped with a grapple device designed to be engaged with a track rail laying alongside of the track and which is to be placed in position in the track rail system of the road, in replacement for example of an old or worn track rail section. By the operation of the motor on the motor truck, with the grapple devices engaged adjacent each end of the rail to be placed, the rail is hoisted evenly and retained in horizontal position and is brought by the hoisting thereof accurately in position to be lowered and laid in its proper relation with respect to the previously laid rails of the track.

Referring to the drawings illustrating an apparatus embodying my invention, A designates generally a motor truck of the character above referred to which, as above explained, consists of a platform with the usual four truck wheels 6 and mounting thereon a motor 7 from which the axle 8 of the truck is driven in any suitable or convenient manner. If desired a clutch device 9 may be employed to throw the propelling gear connections from the motor to the truck axle into and out of action as occasion may require.

Reference letter B designates a platform truck consisting of a platform and the four truck wheels 10.

The motor truck and the platform truck above referred to ordinarily constitute general utility equipment of railroad companies, and they are light in weight and capable of being readily and easily lifted and removed from the track rails whenever occasion therefor arises.

In accordance with my invention I employ spacer devices which are capable of adjustable extension so asto accurately space the motor truck A away from the trailer platform B, such spacing corresponding to the length of a track rail section to be manipulated by the apparatus. I have shown a simple form of adjustable spacing device which, in the illustrative form shown, comprises tubular sections 11, 12 detachably connected respectively to the opposed or proximate ends of the motor and platform trucks.

In the illustrative form shown a housing bracket 18 is attached to the end of each of the trucks, while the tubular sections 11, 12 are provided with end flanges 14 which detachably engage in said bracket-s so as to be easily ap lied or removed. The adjacent ends of the tu ula-r members 11, 12 are connected together by means of an intermediate coupling 15 and are secured in longitudinal adjustment to the tubular members 11, 12 in any convenient way, as for instance. by means his of locking pins 16 passing through spaced holes or openings 17 in the tubular members and intermediate coupling, respectively. Mounted adjacent the corner of each of the platforms is a vertical mast 18 which, if desired, may be suitably braced by guy wires or cables 19. Hinged at one endto each of the vertical masts 18, and near the base of the latter is a vertical swinging arm v2O. A hoisting cable 21 is arranged to pass over a sheave 22 in the free end of the swinging arm and thence over a sheave 23 at the upper end of the vertical mast l8 and thence around a guide sheave 24 adjacent the base of the vertical mast and thence to and around a hoisting drum 25 on the motor truck. This hoisting drum is designed to be drivenfrom the motor 7 of the motor truck and, if desired, an ordinary clutch device 26 may be employed to throw the drum into and out of gear with the motor. The hoisting cable 21 of the hoisting apparatus on the platform truck B leads from its guide sheave 24 through the tubular members 12, 11 to the hoisting, drum 25. Y

If desired, or required, in order to effect an adjustment in the length of the hoisting cable 21 of the platform truck to accommodate anyadjustment of the spacing relation between the motor and platform trucks, the section or portion of the hoisting cable passing through the tubular members 12, 11' may be provided with a turnbuckle device 27, see Fig. 5, for such purposes.

Attached to the free endv of each of the hoisting cables 21 is a grapple device 28 of the usual or any ordinary type adapted to clamp a track rail so as to be lifted thereby when the hoisting drum 25 is actuated.

In order to enable the hoisting of a rail section in such manner as to accurately position said rail section in the desired relation to the previously laid track rails so as to align therewith, I prefer to locate the masts 18 on the ends of the motor and platform trucks adjacent the opposite opposed proximate corners thereof, and to so position the swinging arms 20 of the hoisting devices that when a track rail is elevated to the desired extent it will automatically occupy the required position so that by then lowering the rail it will be deposited or laid in the required alignment with the previouslyv laid track rails without the necessity ofany great care or guidance by manual efiort of workmen. In aid of accomplishment of this purpose I provide the hoisting cables 21 with stops 29 adapted to engage abutments 30 carried by the arms 20 when the rail section has been raised to the desired height preparatory to being deposited in position. I

It is desirable to accurately position'the hoisting apparatus with relation to the terminal ends of the previously'laid rails. I have provided a simple arrangement for accomplishing this purpose whereina lever 31 is pivotally mounted upon the motor truck A and is provided with the end portion 32 designed to snap into one or another of the bolt holes 33, see Fig. 1, for the usual fish or tie plates employed for securing together the adjacent ends of track rails. By propelling the motor truck by hand or through its motor connections until the hook end, 32 of lever 8lisnaps or engages in the required hole 33 the apparatus will then be efficiently positioned on the track for the work of relaying an adjacent track rail section.

In practice and in order to contribute to the. automatic aligning of the track rail section to be laid with the'previously laid track rails a portion of the opposite corners of the motor and platform trucks may be cut out, as indicated at 34: (see Fig. 2) so as to facilitate the bringing of the rail into proper plumb relation, at a suflicient height and then lowering the same into position upon the ties of the road-bed.

It is believed that the operation of the apparatus willbe readily understood from the foregoing description, but briefly it is as follows:

The motor and platform trucks are spaced apart from each other to a distance approximating the length of the. rails to be laid and the assemblage is then shifted along the previously laid track or road-bed until the motor truck approaches the end of the previously laid rail. This truck is then secured in position, if desired, by the locking member 31. The grapples 28 are then engaged to the rail to be laid which has previously been deposited in the usual way alongside of the track. The engagement of the grapples is effected adjacent each end of the track rail. The hoisting cable 21, having been adjusted to correspond with the spacer adjustment of the trucks, the hoisting drum is operated so as to wind up the hoisting cables thereon, thereby the rail is elevated on an even keel and is retained in horizontal position without possibility of tilting and when the stops 29 engage the abutments 3 0 the arm 20 will be thereafter drawn to nearly a vertical position and then the suspended rail will occupy a position directly over the position it is to occupy when deposited. Thereupon, by merely lowering the rail 6 is'deposited upon the road-bed ties and in true accurate alignment with the previously laid rails. The apparatus is then shifted to the next point where a rail is to be. relaid or placed inthe track system and the last one deposited is secured by application of the fish plates and spikes in the usual manner.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I provide a track rail laying apparatus which is exceedingly simple, which requires only small gangs of workmen to accomplish the operations, and which permits the utilization for track laying purposes of a cheap light motor trailer or platform truck equipment with which the roads are ordinarily e' nipped, thereby saving the comparatively ieavy costs ofspecial track laying equipment. It will also be seen that danger of injury to workmen is reduced to a minimultaneously hoisting both ends of the rail,

instead of hoisting it from a point at its midlength, the danger of tilting is avoidedas is also the necessity and danger of workmen manually guiding the rail into place.

The apparatus of the nature set forth is usable, of course, for initially laying track rails, as well as for replacingrails in previously laid tracks. For track relaying purposes alone a great need exists for an apparatus of the nature embodying my invention.

It is to be understood that many variations and changes in the details of construction and arrangement will readily occur to persons skilled in the art and still fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I do not desire, therefore, to be limited or restricted to the exact details shownand described. But having set forth the object and nature of my invention and a structure embodying the principles thereof what I claim asnew and useful and of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rail handling apparatus and in combination with trucks adj ustably spaced apart from each other, of hoisting devices disposed at the opposed or proximate ends of said trucks and adapted to-engage a track rail sec tion adjacent both ends thereof and hoist and place the same in position.

2. In a rail handling apparatus and in c'om'-- bination' with trucks adjustably spaced apart from each other, of hoisting devices located at the opposed proximate corners of said trucks and adapted to en'gag'ea track rail section adjacent both ends thereof and hoist and place the same in position.

3'. Thecombinati'on with a motortrue'k'anda trailer or platform truck devices for" adjustably spacing said trucks apart from each' other, of masts-- carried by" the opposed proximateends of each of said trucks, an arm pivotally eonnectedto each mastand a hoisting cable associated with each mast and arm and adapted to engage a track rail section adjacent its end, and a hoistingdruin carried by said, motor truck for operating, said hoist ing cables. p

4. In a rail handling apparatus and in combination with a motortr'uck and a; trailer or platform truck, of hoisting devicesinounted upon the proximate and opposed ends of said trucks and adjustable spaced connections interposed between said trucks.

5. In a rail handling apparatus, a motor truck, a trailer or platform truck, spacer members connected to the proximate ends of said trucks, and a coupling device adjustably connecting the adjacent ends of said spacer members and hoisting devices mounted on the proximate end of each of said trucks.

6. In a rail handling aparatus, a motor truck, a hoisting drum mounted thereon, a trailer truck, adjustable spacer connections interposed between said trucks, rail engaging and hoisting devices mounted upon the opposed proximate ends of said trucks and including hoisting cables, said hoisting cables extending to and mounted upon said hoisting drum.

7 In a rail handling apparatus, a motor truck, a hoisting drum mounted thereon, a trailer truck, adjustable spacer connections interposed between said trucks, rail engaging and hoist-ing devices mounted upon the opposed proximate ends of said trucks and including hoisting cables, said hoisting cables extending to and mounted upon said hoisting drum, the hoisting cable from the trailer truck having an interposed adjustable connection in its length.

8. In a rail handling apparatus, a motor truck having a power driven hoisting drum, a trailer or platform truck, tubular members carried by the opposed proximate ends of said trucks to serve as adjustable spacers to space apart said trucks, a hoisting apparatus carried by the opposed proximate ends of each of said trucks, each including a hoisting cable, said hoisting cables leading to and around said hoisting drum, the hoisting cable from the trailer or platform truck operating through the tubular spacer members.

9. In a rail handling apparatus, a motor truck and a trailer truck, means to space apart said trucks from each other a distance approximately equal to that of a track rail section, a hoisting apparatus including a hoisting cable mounted on the proximate end of each of said trucks and stop devices for limiting the hoisting movement of said cables.

10. In a rail handling apparatus, a motor truck having a hoisting drum and a trailer or platform truck in combination with devices to space apart said trucks, a hoisting apparatus mounted at the opposed proximate and corresponding corners of said trucks, said corners having cut away portions, said hoisting devices in each including a hoisting cable adapted to be wound upon said hoisting drum 11. In a rail handling apparatus, a motor truck and atrailer or platform truck, adjustable" connections for spacing apart said trucks and a hoisting apparatus mounted upon the opposed proximate end of each of a said trucks in combination with a, locating and locking device carried by the motor truck to locate and. lock the same in position adjacent the end of the track rail upon which it is operated.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 2nd day of May, A. D. 1928.

ERNEST L. CLARK. 

